Major Broadband Fault - 2 years on and still no progress :(

[amalkin93]

I already have tested it without any phone plugged in to islote the issue being caused by filters or phone models, the issue still occurred however I still had the base station plugged in.

I will try without it, but I still doubt its that phone, I mean the sounds it makes on the 600khz frequency are obviously its communications to the handsets, I cant see a company like Siemens making a phone system which interferes with phone lines.

Im going to try and move it all far away from the phone line anyway during the Fibre install, however I really dont see it being this base station, why would the issue occur when its not in use/idle and during the daytime only? I still believe it might be the neighbours, it hasn't happened for 30 hours now and coincidentally they have been out somewhere too. Also a new Wifi router is being picked up on my iPhone, which if faulty I guess could be interfering.

[Scubbie]

If the new issue you have is caused by REIN, then the problem could be caused by any electrical interference.

Whilst where you are has less people nearby than many others on this forum, it is possible that the interference could be at any point surrounding your home, leading all the way back to the exchange.

Personally I don't think that it will be all the way back to your exchange though.

I would encourage you to consider walking around the estate where you are with the radio when the interference is obvious. It may be that a faulty Freeview STB or an old TV is the cause of the problem.

[amalkin93]

If the new issue you have is caused by REIN, then the problem could be caused by any electrical interference.

Whilst where you are has less people nearby than many others on this forum, it is possible that the interference could be at any point surrounding your home, leading all the way back to the exchange.

Personally I don't think that it will be all the way back to your exchange though.

I would encourage you to consider walking around the estate where you are with the radio when the interference is obvious. It may be that a faulty Freeview STB or an old TV is the cause of the problem.

Yeh, I have left the AM/MW radio in my room, next time it happens I will tune it in to see if theres REIN, the phone line comes directly into my office, which is also directly above the XNTE/External junction and line so its the only exposed area which could be affected to my house individually. I should be able to tell when it does. I will also ask the neighbours, but I have assumed they havent as one of them relies upon a connection for their business.

Lines been up for 30 hours now, at solid 10db for both up and down, so momentarily (or hopefully permanently) its fixed again, all the previous/original issues have gone (as it would of disconnected by now).

Ill update next time it happens or after Fibre is up

Thanks for your help

[RUNITDIRECT]

On the last visit they fitted an RF filter but Sky told them to remove it as it halved the Sync Speed. It was a small white box with a pair input and output, so not sure what to do about that, maybe it is needed.

Odd thing is, the Lines gone back solid today, even though its poor weather, and ive used it intensively too, Im starting to wonder whether the exception yesterday was a local problem or something. Seems great again now, no log issues.

Sounds like an 80B RF3, it will lower sync in some cases but not normally by half! It has the same component as the BT I Plate. Was the line stable with it fitted?

[RUNITDIRECT]

It may seem a drastic measure but have you considered dropping Sky BB and going across to BT?

While this appears strange it would put the onus on BT to get your line fixed at their expense rather than Sky having to pay for the engineer call out. You could return to Sky in 12 months with all the perks of a new customer.

While it can be easier to get an OR engineer to attend site if you are a BT customer they are no better at fixing faults! The way BT were split up means BT pay BTO for an engineer visit anyway.

[amalkin93]

Sounds like an 80B RF3, it will lower sync in some cases but not normally by half! It has the same component as the BT I Plate. Was the line stable with it fitted?

No idea, it was only fitted for 10 mins before Sky told the BTO guy to remove it on the phone.

Now I've been looking on the site you gave me about REIN and have Googled it a bit, I've found some others suffering the same issue, I've also started noticing a trend between someone coming in next door and it happening shortly after. This makes sense why this could have suddenly just happend, as the previous BTO guy moved my master socket into the room the line comes into from outside (before it was directed through a few other rooms via skitring board/wall holes), the neighbours room is now about 2m apart over an alleyway from my master socket, before it was about 7m. In addition the line is always stable during the weekday daytimes and during the night.

I've ruled out my phone set base station as being a culprit, as it emits the most interference when an internal call is made (its wirelessing transmitting the sound digitally) and even if the base stations placed next to the router+master, the noise margins dont even stutter. Im starting to wonder if the room facing our line has something in place which could be emitting REIN during certain times.

Ive done a thorough REIN check with a MW radio around my home, I cant find anything which creates noises from a distance, only certain things including the phone base station, TV and iMac make sounds if you hold the radio right on them/touching, which is expected. Next time the line starts dropping and i'm in I will test near the master socket for noises on the 612khz MW frequency.

[Scubbie]

Well done for ruling out the telephone.

...I've also started noticing a trend between someone coming in next door and it happening shortly after...

This is very possible.

Could I suggest that you have your radio to hand and monitor what happens when your neighbour returns home?

I trust that you are on friendly terms with your neighbour. This being the case I would suggest that you think about talking to them. One example post on this forum was of a faulty TV set in the home of someone else on an estate. The TV cause everyone problems. Once the location and then TV were identified, it was repaired and things brightened up for everyone on the estate.

[IWasNotTheEnemy]

Could be a scenario like one I've heard where someone's neighbour's TV's PSU was on the blink and knocking out the BB - BT had to replace the TV to get a stable connection!

Unlikely to happen again but it's possible...

[amalkin93]

Hi again, I just wanted to leave an update on this issue. The problem described originally was never resolved, however after switching to Sky Fibre my line has been completely rock solid stable. Some of the engineers believed there may have been either a fault on the E-Side or at the exchange which by having Fibre, my broadband line is no longer using.

Thanks to everyone who helped me in trying to fix the problem, if anyone else is having a similar issue please don't hesitate to contact me though

[Scubbie]

Nice result.

What are your current speeds like?